Alice Waters' original Edible Schoolyard is a five minute walk from our house. For years, we've taken early evening strolls through the garden, ogling the vast array of plants, herbs, fruit trees - all inspiring our own tiny backyard veggie garden.

When our boy Otis was getting ready to enter middle school two years ago, we couldn't resist King. We wanted Otis to have the freedom to safely roam our neighborhood, ride his bike to school, have local friends, and be a part of our community school. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the Edible Schoolyard was a huge draw for us in making this change. King kids are fortunate enough to have classes in both the Kitchen and Garden programs associated with the Schoolyard. Every time I visit, I'm stunned to see a huge group of middle schoolers not messing around or worrying about being cool, but totally focused and invigorated about cooking, gardening, eating, and learning. I've never seen adolescents so excited about vegetables! Who wouldn't want their child to have this invaluable education... an education which instills a passion for learning that permeates all aspects of the school, way beyond the Garden and
Kitchen.

King kids know they're lucky to have the Schoolyard - I see them taking great pride in knowing where food comes from, and how to grow and cook nourishing food for themselves. I dream of these King kids becoming parents a generation from now, and the joy and knowledge they will be able to share with their own families - the healthful meals they will cook with their own children.

When my amazing friend Phyllis asked if I'd be interested in teaching a class with her at the Edible Schoolyard to benefit our Berkeley Public Libraries, I immediately said "YES!" On Saturday, we had a blast cooking with 11 adorable kids and their moms, dads, and even a few grandmothers. Phyllis, a pastry master, taught everyone to make sumptuous savory tarts - my oh my were they incredibly good. Then, I worked with the gang on making a deconstructed salad and taught the kids how to whip up a simple vinaigrette in mason jars. Watching all their eager little faces as they shook up salad dressing and ate lettuce like it was candy made my heart swoon. While I always feel lucky to cook with my own kids and their friends, it was totally inspiring for me to cook with this group of kiddos I'd never met. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the tiniest taste of the magic the Edible Schoolyard gets to experience every day. I'm savoring it.

The dressing: First, place all ingredients in a lidded jar. Shake vigorously until dressing has emulsified. Dip a leaf of lettuce into the dressing and add more salt, vinegar, or oil to your liking.

The salad: Wash, fully dry and place your salad greens into a large bowl. (Keep in mind that fully dried leaves will be key to your dressing adhering nicely to the greens later.) Trim and thinly slice fennel bulb and radishes. Slice kumquats thin, leaving skins on. Remove any seeds.

When all of your salad components are prepped, and you’re ready to eat, lightly dress your greens. (Go ahead and use your hands to toss the salad - it's the best way to get a beautiful even coating of dressing on all the leaves.) Place bowls of chopped goodies on the table and let everyone make the salad they desire. Pass around small pitcher of extra dressing in case anyone wants to add another drizzle to his/her plate.

I decided to make a little video for you guys ( my first ever!) showing the simple way to supreme an orange. If you struggle to slice clean segments of citrus and are looking for a little help, I hope this video makes your life easier....

What a beautiful salad Erin! Oh and what a treat to be invited to teach at the Edible school garden - such a landmark for the Bay Area. Speaking of landmarks, I am so hopefully that Chez Panisse will be open again soon. Your photos are lovely and so inviting. Hope you are outside enjoying this beautiful day!!! The weather is amazing!

Lisa, it really was an honor to teach in the Kitchen - such an amazing place. Have you visited? You can take a tour and it's so worth it. And the garden... man oh man.We were all sad about the fire, but it seems like reconstruction is already underway. Hopefully all will be well soon.xxooE

Emi, they are so lucky. The joy, calm, and focus of all the kids at the Schoolyard is incredible. I was asking Kyle, the director what the secret is and she says "fairy dust." If only kids everywhere could have a sprinkle...Hope you're well!xoE

Emma, do you juice the cara caras too? So delish!Thanks for taking time to look at the video - I'm a newbie and some of the technical issues bug me, but I wanted to reach out in a new way. Enjoy your last stretch of winter...xoE

Thanks Renee. Berkeley is far from a perfect place, but we have so much good stuff going on.... I do feel extremely lucky. And like you, I wish all schools were as lucky as King. All kids should be able to have such an education! We'd be a much healthier country.xoE

I love this post! How wonderful that your son gets to learn about cooking and growing vegetables in middle school. Edible Schoolyard sounds like such an enriching program for the kids. Great recipe too, as always. My son will love shaking up the dressing in the jar :). Cheers!

Denise you should see the meals the kids make in that kitchen! Veggie stews, salads galore, frittatas - all simple and packed with veg. They even learn how to thresh their own grains. If only we all ate so well!xoE

Thank you for the introduction to the edible schoolyard - what a wonderful (and important) way to teach children about the fundamentals of food. Such a great thing to be part of and this salad sounds just perfect.

I love a mixed green salad and the addition of citrus truly makes me think of freshness and spring. the addition of Dijon to the balsamic dressing sounds like a winning combo too. Great job on the video. As usual for your site the photography on the video is top notch.

Lisa, I felt so lucky to get to spend the day in that Kitchen. And having Otis at school there is such a treat. The recipes he comes home with are amazing, veggie packed meals that I'm not sure he would ever try (or at least with that much enthusiasm) if it weren't for the Schoolyard. Hope you're well Lisa!xoE

What an incredible community project, Erin. I would certainly want to send my kids to King if I lived close. If only my schools had offered gardening and kitchen classes, maybe I would have fallen for whole foods sooner. Beautiful salad, too.

Kathryne, too true. If we start early, whole foods feel basic, normal and not the least bit intimidating - just as they should. You cannot imagine the easy confidence these 11, 12 and 13 year olds have in the kitchen and garden. Damn they can cook!xoxoE

And I hope you'll try video. It's really fun, though I know what you mean... I feel like I'm starting over with a whole new medium, making tons of mistakes. Oh well, what are blogs for if we can't experiment and have fun!xoE

Edible Schoolyard is such a wonderful program. Here in Colorado, I invite friends and their kids to my garden at every opportunity- it's so fun to see them discover where their food comes from and dig in the dirt! Your salad looks so refreshing. I'm a big fan of the citrus/fennel combo.

Jess, that's so cool that you invited friends and their kiddos to your garden. Don't they love it! And it's amazing what they are willing to try when they see veggies in their natural state. I'm sure the kids will remember your garden for a long time.xoxoE

I do feel lucky every day that these kids are getting to have such a positive experience with growing and cooking food. I think it will stick with them for a lifetime.Always nice to hear from you Laura!xoE